Robert Bernstein Defends His Criticism Of Human Rights Watch (Updated)

Last week, Robert Bernstein, former chairman of Human Rights Watch, wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, criticizing that group.Human Rights Watch, in turn, responded.

Here is Robert Bernstein's answer to them:

October 24 2009

In their October 21st letter to the editor, Jane Olson, current chair of Human Rights Watch and Jonathan Fanton, past chair wrote that they “were saddened to see Robert L. Bernstein argue that Israel should be judged by a different human rights standard than the rest of the world.” This is not what I believe or what I wrote in my op-ed piece.

I believe that Israel should be judged by the highest possible standard and I have never argued anything else. What is more important than what I believe, or what Human Rights Watch believes, is that Israelis themselves believe they should be held to the highest standard.

That is why they have 80 Human Rights organizations challenging their government daily. Does any other country in the Middle East have anything remotely near that? That is why they have a vibrant free press. Does any other country in the Middle East have anything remotely near that? That is why they have a democratically elected government. That is why they have a judiciary that frequently rules against the government, a politically active academia, multiple political societies, etc etc etc.

I have argued that open societies , while far from perfect, have ways to correct themselves and that is particularly true in the case of Israel. Millions of Arabs, on the other hand, live in societies where there is little respect for or protection of human rights.

The current argument is whether Human Rights Watch’s facts and judgments about the Gaza conflict are correct.That is certainly a necessary and legitimate discussion.
I should add that over the years I have had the highest regard for Human Rights Watch’s work around the world and from what I know, with the notable exception of the Middle East, that is still the case.

Robert L. Bernstein

UPDATE: Noah Pollak writes about this defense by Bernstein of his original op-ed:

Bernstein’s [original] op-ed was perfectly clear, and the misrepresentation of it perfectly intentional. HRW’s most serious problem is not with Israel — it is with honesty.

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